Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting Commissioner Patricia Reed Scott announced today that, for the fourth consecutive year, direct expenditures from the production of films, television series and specials, commercials, and music videos in New York City continued to grow at record levels. Direct expenditures for 1997 totaled $2.37 billion compared to 1996 which recorded $2.23 billion.
Also on hand for the announcement at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens were Bill Cosby, whose current hit series tapes on the main stage; Dan Aykroyd, whose television comedy series Soul Man transferred to New York from Los Angeles at the start of the 1997-98 season; the Bear from Jim Henson's Bear in the Big Blue House; and George Kaufman and Hal Rosenbluth of Kaufman Astoria Studios.
"In show business, famous for its ups and downs as a cyclical industry, New York is now in its fourth successive year of sustaining record growth, and 1997 continues the momentum with another record-breaking performance," said Mayor Giuliani. "The unprecedented growth of film and television production in New York City strengthens our position as the Entertainment Capital of the World and improves the quality of life for all New Yorkers by creating thousands of jobs, and generating billions of dollars in revenues. Most of all, thousands of stories and images of New York seen every day in every corner of the globe carry the message that the City offers endless, fascinating possibilities."
Commissioner Scott said, "With the Giuliani Administration responding with meaningful business incentives such as sales tax exemptions for film, television and also Theatre, and a constant commitment to expanding production in all three, we are enjoying a superb partnership between labor, the creative community, government officials and the City's resident industry professionals, especially stars like those joining us this afternoon. Everyone collaborates to make New York the most photographed City in the world."
Television posted the greatest gains in shooting days, reaching 7,458 in 1997, compared to 6,439 in 1996. Television production expenditures increased by more than $200 million from 1996 to 1997, totaling $1.2 billion in 1997.
Prime time series made entirely in New York last year included the Peabody and Emmy award-winning series Law & Order; with New York Undercover; Spin City starring Michael J. Fox in his Golden Globe-winning performance as Deputy Mayor; HBO's Oz, created by Tom Fontana; and last year's Cable Ace winner for Best Drama series, and Dellaventura, Danny Aiello's CBS series. The first television miniseries to shoot entirely in New York City for some time, The Mob, is currently shooting and is produced by Robert DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal of Tribeca Films for NBC.
New York City has 105 national series in production, including non-fiction prime-time series, late night, daytime dramas, talk shows and children's shows.
Feature film production advanced last year's record number to 213 films shot in the City and 4,236 days of principal photography, compared to 201 films totaling 4,147 days in 1996. Direct expenditures for features in 1997 totaled $847,200,000 compared to $829,400,000 in 1996.
Some of the features shot here which will open later this year include Godzilla; Meet Joe Black starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins; A Perfect Murder starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow, Gloria starring Sharon Stone; Stepmom starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon; He Got Game starring Denzel Washington; Ship of Fools starring Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci; The Confession starring Alec Baldwin, Ben Kingsley and Amy Irving; and Lulu On the Bridge, with Harvey Keitel, Mira Sorvino, Vanessa Redgrave, Stockard Channing and Gina Gershon.
Among the movies now shooting are Martial Law, directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Courage Under Fire) starring Denzel Washington, Annette Bening and Bruce Willis; The Astronaut's Wife starring Johnny Depp; At First Sight, starring Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino; The Out of Towners starring Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin; One True Thing starring Meryl Streep; Mickey Blue Eyes starring Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley; and The Corruptor starring Chow Yun Fat.
In January 1998, the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting expanded the availability of the Tech List, a listing for job seekers that contains information on productions shooting or expected to shoot in New York City. A weekly listing is now offered on NYC.gov's website for the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/filmcom/pdf/tech.pdf.